Free Republic University, Department of History presents World War II Plus 70 Years: Seminar and Discussion Forum First session: September 1, 2009. Last date to add: September 2, 2015. Reading assignment: New York Times articles and the occasional radio broadcast delivered daily to students on the 70th anniversary of original publication date. (Previously posted articles can be found by searching on keyword realtime Or view Homers posting history .) To add this class to or drop it from your schedule notify Admissions and Records (Attn: Homer_J_Simpson) by freepmail. Those on the Realtime +/- 70 Years ping list are automatically enrolled. Course description, prerequisites and tuition information is available at the bottom of Homers profile. Also visit our general discussion thread.

Selections from West Point Atlas for the Second World War Eastern Europe, 1941: Russian Leningrad and Ukraine Offensives  Operations, 2 December 1943-30 April 1944 Allied Advance to Volturno River, Reorganization, and Attack on Gustav Line (17 January-11 May 1944) Anzio-Cassino Area, 1943: Attempts to Cross Rapido and Garigliano Rivers, 17-20 January 1944. Anzio Landing, 22 January 1944. German Counterattack at Anzio, 16-19 February 1944 New Guinea and Alamo Force Operations: Clearing the Huon Peninsula and Securing the Straits, 19 September 1943-26 April 1944 Cartwheel, the Seizure of the Gilberts and Marshalls, and Concurrent Air and Naval Operations, 30 June 1943-26 April 1944 The Far East and the Pacific, 1941: Original Allied Strategic Concept, May 1943; Situation in Pacific, 1 November 1943

2
posted on 02/24/2014 4:08:19 AM PST
by Homer_J_Simpson
("Every nation has the government that it deserves." - Joseph de Maistre (1753-1821))

In the Marshall Islands... Japanese resistance on Parry Island ends. American forces complete the occupation of Eniwetok Atoll. US losses are 300 killed and 750 wounded. The Japanese garrison has been wiped out. Out of 3400 troops, there are 66 prisoners.

On the Eastern Front... In the north, Red Army forces take Strugi Krasnyye, midway between Luga and Pskov. Attacks begin toward Dno as well.

In the Mariana Islands... American aircraft raid Rota, Tinian and Saipan. The US forces are from Task Group 58.3 (Sherman) and Task Group 58.2 (Montgomery). The attack sinks 20,000 tons of Japanese shipping.

In Italy... At Anzio, General Truscott replaces General Lucas as commander of the US 6th Corps.

4
posted on 02/24/2014 4:10:29 AM PST
by Homer_J_Simpson
("Every nation has the government that it deserves." - Joseph de Maistre (1753-1821))

February 24th, 1944 (THURSDAY)
EUROPE: This is the start of “Big Week” which really lasts until March 6,1944 which broke the back of the Luftwaffe. The 445th Bomb Group endured four and one half hours of fighter attack and lost 13 out of 25 airplanes. Yet they accurately destroyed the Goather Wagonwerke which produced the ME210. The Luftwaffe never recovered from the loss of almost 500 experienced fighter pilots that week. Most of them fell to the guns of the 8th Fighter Command. (Hal Turrel)

UNITED KINGDOM: Merchant ship Fort Stikine, sails from the Mersey. Her destination is “secret” but her cargo clearly marked for Karachi and Bombay. On deck are crated gliders, whilst below, her Bombay cargo includes crated aircraft and shells, torpedoes, mines, rockets, magnesium and bombs totalling 1,400 tons of explosive. Also on board, in No. 2 ‘tween deck, were 124 bars of gold worth nearly one million pounds. (78)

ITALY: Subadar Subramanian (b.?), Madras Sappers and Miners, died when he threw himself onto a mine to shield others. (George Cross)

GREECE: During test firing with the machine gun from U-453 at the base in Salamis were two men killed (not crewmembers).

CANADA: Frigate HMCS Cape Breton departed Halifax to join EG-6 in UK.

U.S.A.: Norfolk, Virginia: Josephine “Joe” Doolittle, the wife of Lt-Gen James Harold Doolittle, Commanding General of the US Eighth Air Force, breaks a bottle of champagne across the bow and christens the aircraft carrier USS Shangri-La.

The USS INTREPID, crippled by a Japanese torpedo one week ago, stands into Pearl Harbor after having maintained direction with a jury-rigged sail. (Skip Guidry)

Waskesiu was part of Escort Group 6, operating in support of convoy SC-153. Waskesiu detected the submarine on Asdic shortly after 02:00 and, although the Group Commander was convinced the contact was non-sub, LCdr. Fraser (an ex-RCMP marine division officer) was persuaded by his Asdic operators to persist. Waskesiu conducted many hedgehog and depth charge attacks until 05:50, when the submarine surfaced. The ship engaged the submarine with guns and closed to ram but the submarine avoided and manoeuvred away. The submarine sank a few moments later. Due to the darkness and rough seas, only 19 of U-257’s 49 crewmembers were rescued. KptLt. Rahe was seen to throw his lifejacket and one-man raft to survivors and re-entered the boat just moments before it sank.
[According to a crew member on the HMCS Waskesiu the HMS Nene only participated in picking up survivors while the Canadian frigate dropped the depth charges, after both frigates had picked up an ASDIC signal that the Canadians insisted was a U-boat, that sank the boat.] (Alex Gordon)

German submarine U-761 was detected by PBY-5A Catalinas from VP-63, now based at Naval Air Facility (NAF) Port Lyautey, French Morocco, during an attempt to pass through the Straits of Gibraltar. The two VP-63 aircraft used their MAD gear to detect, track, and assist in the sinking of U-761, the first sinking of a submarine aided by MAD equipment. The U-boat was attacked by an RAF Catalina Mk. IB of No. 202 Squadron, based at Gibraltar, and a PV-1 Ventura of USN Bombing Squadron One Hundred Twenty Seven (VB-127) also based at NAF Port Lyautey. The crew of the VB-127 Ventura, assisted in the kill by dropping depth charges on U-761 when it surfaced. Following the attack by VB-127 PV-1, the U-boat was scuttled in the mid-Atlantic near Tangier, in position 35.55N, 0545W, in view of approaching British destroyers. Nine of the 57 men aboard were lost; the 48 survivors, including the captain, were picked up by HMS Anthony and HMS Wishart.

5
posted on 02/24/2014 4:12:11 AM PST
by Homer_J_Simpson
("Every nation has the government that it deserves." - Joseph de Maistre (1753-1821))

On the Eastern Front... In the north, forces of the Soviet 1st Belorussian Front capture the rail junction of Dno, east of Pskov. Meanwhile, Rogachev falls to forces of the 2nd Belorussian Front.

In New Guinea... American forces reach Biliau near Cape Iris.

Over Britain... The ninth Luftwaffe bombing raid on London is carried out since the beginning of the “Little Blitz” on January 21st. A total of 129 German bombers have been lost since this operation began.

7
posted on 02/24/2014 5:27:25 AM PST
by Homer_J_Simpson
("Every nation has the government that it deserves." - Joseph de Maistre (1753-1821))

Sometime in this period, my Grandfather is wounded by artillery, and ends up being evacuated back to Germany in May. His Hiwi Engineering Company is destroyed at Narva and Courland.

He said the refugees streaming west during the retreat to Narva were the biggest problem they faced, with tens of thousands fleeing from the oncoming Soviets. You won’t read that one in many history books.

8
posted on 02/24/2014 8:31:42 AM PST
by tcrlaf
(Well, it is what the Sheeple voted for....)

Rumors of the death of German Col. Gen. Georg Lindemann are greatly exaggerated. He will continue in command of 18th Army, and in a few weeks will be promoted to command of Army Group North. During the crushing Soviet summer offensive in a few months, Lindemann will be relieved and spend the rest of the war as a garrison commander in Denmark. After the war, Lindemann will live quietly in retirement until his death in 1963.

As for the execution orders for losing officers, that was really more of a Soviet deal. Hitler will sack officers who lose and/or don’t follow orders, but he doesn’t have them shot. Now, if there is a hint of disloyalty after July 20, 1944, that’s another matter.

NEWPORT, R.I. — The U.S. Naval War College has released a trove of World War II information by posting online the operational diary kept by Adm. Chester W. Nimitz during the war against Japan.

The more than 4,000 pages includes a running estimate of the situation for every day of the war in the Pacific compiled by Nimitz's planning staff, starting with Dec. 7, 1941, the day Japan attacked Pearl Harbor.

It is posted at www.usnwc.edu/graybook .

War College professor John Hattendorf says it's the only such document to survive from the war.

Nimitz was commander in chief of the Pacific Fleet. He graduated from the War College in Rhode Island and lectured there several times.

The diary was declassified in 1972 but was relatively inaccessible at the Naval History and Heritage Command in Washington.

24 February (Oahu Date) Task Groups 58.2 (ESSEX, YORKTOWN, BELLEAU WOOD) and 58.3 (BUNKER HILL, i,MONTEREY, COWPENS) of Rear Admiral Mitscher' s Task Force (58) made two air strikes against SAIPAN-TINIAN on 22 Feb and, concurrently, a 12-plane fighter strike on GUAL1. The task force, having been sighted during its approach on the afternoon of 21 Feb, received almost continuous air attacks throughout the night of 21 Feb and during the forenoon of 22 Feb; the force relentlessly pushed its attack against the opposing defense, and bombed and strafed aircraft and radio installations, fuel oil storage, and shipping in the harbors. Reports give the following estimate of ships sunk: 4 AK and 1 PC; 2 tugs and 5 small escorts were damaged. A total of 136 aircraft was reported destroyed. Of these, 87 were destroyed on the ground; of the remaining 48, 29 were shot down in combat over the target, 14 were shot down by ships' gunfire, and 5 were shot down by CAP. Our losses were 1 VF(N), 4 VF, and 1 TBF. The force started its retirement at 1600, 22 Feb. Our ships suffered no combat damage; however, the ALABAMAs 5-inch Mount 9 fired into the back of Mount 5; this accident resulted in 5 being killed and 11 wounded, 2 seriously. Rear Admiral Mitscher states: "This battle is historic for courage and determination of purpose."

Land based air strikes (under TF 57) on 24 Feb were directed against KUSAIE, WOTJE, TAROA, MILLE, and EMIDJ. 19 tons of bombs were dropped in the barrack, radio station, and wharf areas of KUSAIE, resulting in large explosions; 25 tons fired the barrack area of EMIDJ; the remaining bombings were of moderate intensity and produced moderate damage; no plane loss was reported. A searcher over NAURU received heavy A/A and reports runways 1 and 2 operational.

TAMBOR reports sinking 3 AKs for a total of 20,500 tons and 1 9500-ton AO during the period 29 Jan to 3 Feb on the route between JAPAN and the PHILIPPINES.

GRAYBACK reports two more MARUs sunk on 24 Feb in the same general area as that of the TAMBOR.

In the South Pacific, bombardment by destroyers continued in the KAVIENG-RABAUL- DUKE OF YORK ISLAND areas.

17
posted on 02/24/2014 1:43:40 PM PST
by PrinceOfCups
(Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their party....)

The Shangri-La is launched. At first blush it seems to be a departure from the custom of naming the big fleet carriers for famous battles. But was it? When Roosevelt was asked where the bombers came from that hit Tokyo in the Doolittle raid, he replied, “Shangri-La.”

Disclaimer:
Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual
posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its
management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the
exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.